Atlantic: Jonathan Summeton wins again, Simona de Silvestro 2nd

From the Atlantic Championship

For the second year in a row, the battle for  The Atlantic Championship  title will go down to the final race of the season, and Jonathan Summerton is once again one of three drivers in contention for the championship.

Summerton leapfrogged his Newman Wachs Racing teammate, John Edwards for second in the standings and closed to within seven points, 176-169, of leader Simona De Silvestro following his fourth victory of the season on Friday afternoon at Road Atlanta.

The 21-year-old American Formula 1 hopeful started from the pole and led every lap in the No. 34 machine, beating De Silvestro to the stripe by 4.208 seconds.

Summerton is currently tied with De Silvestro for the series lead in victories and will head for the season finale in Monterey, Calif. carrying the momentum of four consecutive podium results.

De Silvestro returned to the podium after due to a crash at Mosport in the No. 78 entry for Team Stargate Worlds. She started third and got the drop on Edwards on the race's standing start. She then managed to keep Edwards at bay throughout the race to score valuable second-place points.

Edwards settled for third in the No. 36  ride for Newman Wachs Racing. With 166 points, the 18-year-old American is now 10 points behind De Silvestro in the championship race and he also now trails teammate Summerton by three points.

It is important to point out, however, that the driver who was third in the championship standings following the penultimate round - Markus Niemela - wound up taking the series title when all was said and done in the season finale, so Edwards is very much alive in the title chase.

Making his first Atlantic start since the Sebring season-opener - where he didn't complete a lap due to an opening-lap incident - Jonathan Bomarito scored a fourth-place result. Bomarito will also be in the cockpit of the No. 77 machine when the series moves to his hometown in two weeks, as he will once again fill in for the injured Frankie Muniz for Team Stargate Worlds.

Niemela completed the top five in the No. 1 Jensen MotorSport machine.

Race results for Round 11:

1. (1) Jonathan Summerton, Kissimmee, Fla., No. 34 Newman Wachs Racing, 34.
2. (3) Simona De Silvestro, Switzerland, No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds, 34.
3. (2) John Edwards, Cincinnati, Ohio, No. 36 Newman Wachs Racing, 34.
4. (4) Jonathan Bomarito, Monterey, Calif., No. 77 Team Stargate Worlds, 34.
5. (6) Markus Niemela, Finland, No. 1 Jensen MotorSport, 34.
6. (5) Frederic Vervisch (R), Belgium, No. 17 Genoa Racing, 34.
7. (9) James Winslow (R), United Kingdom, No. 19 Genoa Racing, 34.
8. (10) Max Lefevre (R), France, No. 7 Condor Motorsports, 34.
9. (7) Tonis Kasemets, Estonia, No. 35 Polestar Motor Racing, 29, not running.
10. (8) Greg Mansell, United Kingdom, No. 18 Genoa Racing, 17, not running.

Series Points Leaders: 1. De Silvestro, 176; 2. Summerton, 169; 3. Edwards, 166; 4. Vervisch, 121; 5. Kasemets, 95; 6. Borja Garcia, 88; 7. Niemela, 85; 8. Winslow, 65; 9. Frankie Muniz, 62; 10. Lefevre, 53.

Next Race: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca; Monterey, Calif.; October 11.